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Before we get started, check out my Week 17 NFL picks.

I’m going to look at the match-ups each week and pick some fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week. Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

First off, avoid Colts starters like the plague. I’m sure you gathered that already from last week. San Diego has nothing to play for, so be leery of using their starters.

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Romo has seemed to put the December Blues behind him, but with the division up for grabs, you can’t help but remember the egg he laid in Philadelphia to end last season. He’s playing at home this time, which should help, but keep in mind he averages just 237.9 passing yards at home. Plus, he has just one TD pass in each of his past two games.

Ricky Williams, RB, Miami Dolphins
Houston jumped out on Miami last week, which took Ricky out of the game. Pittsburgh will attempt to do the same this week. They also have one of the stingiest run defenses in the league allowing just 89.3 yards per game and six rushing TDs.

Ahmad Bradshaw & Brandon Jacobs, RBs, New York Giants
The Giants have pretty much mailed it in after their embarrassing loss to Carolina. Jacobs won’t likely play as he’s banged up and the Giants are out of it. Bradshaw will get the bulk of the work, but faces a Vikings team sporting a stingy run defense and still jockeying for playoff positioning.

Chad Ochocinco, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Ocho becomes Darrelle Revis’ latest victim. If I were him, I wouldn’t waste my time coming up with a TD celebration for this week.

Dwyane Bowe & Chris Chambers, WRs, Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos are reeling, but they are still tough against the pass allowing just 201.0 yards per game. Matt Cassel has struggled on the road averaging just 185.3 yards and 1 TD.

Before we get started, check out my Week 16 NFL picks.

I’m going to look at the matchups each week and pick some fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week. Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Tony Romo is breathing a little easier now that he got the December monkey off his back. Meanwhile, Favre’s got a little heavier with the loss to the Panthers. Despite the Saints’ loss, they are off in the distance for home field advantage. Meanwhile the Eagles are charging hard. Brad Childress is starting to panic a bit, as Favre admits he was almost pulled last week. All of this does not make me comfortable when choosing a starting QB for the fantasy football championship game.

For you numbers hounds (like myself), Favre is averaging 199.8 yards in his last 11 December games with 11 TDs to 17 INTS. When it’s been below 40 degrees he averages 197.6 yards with 5 TDs and 9 INTs. The game is at Chicago this week.

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears
On the flip side for the Vikings, their run defense allowed their first 100 yard rusher since 2007 when Jonathan Stewart torched them on Sunday Night Football. Their defense responded in a big way after the Cardinals loss, shutting down Cincinnati. The Bears offense is so dysfunctional. I see a long day for Forte, who had just 61 total yards when he faced the Vikings in Week 12.

Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Charles has looked like Chris Johnson Lite the past six weeks. This week he’ll face a stiffer test when he takes on the emotional Cincinnati Bengals, who did a nice job limiting LT last week. The Bengals rank third in the league with 85.2 rushing yards allowed per game, and have allowed just 8 rushing TDs.

Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts
I was premature calling for the Colts to rest up some of their players. We’re a week closer to the season wrapping up, and the likelihood improves. Even if Wayne plays the whole game, he’ll have to face Darrelle Revis. Peyton is more than comfortable going to Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, and Pierre Garcon if Wayne can’t get any separation.

Derrick Mason, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Mason had seven catches for 62 yards and a score the last time he faced Pittsburgh (Week 12). The Steelers managed to escape their slugfest against Green Bay with a victory to keep their playoffs hopes alive. This time they tangle in Pittsburgh. I’m expecting a knock em down, drag em out affair where the weather could play a key role.

Other guys I don’t love this week:
QB: Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Joe Flacco
RB: LT, Marion Barber III, Maurice Morris, Knowshon Moreno, LeSean McCoy
WR: DeSean Jackson, Calvin Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, T.J. Housmandzadeh, Jerricho Cotchery
TE: Todd Heap, John Carlson, Kevin Boss

Before we get started, check out my Week 15 NFL picks.

I’m going to look at the matchups each week and pick some fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week. Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

Indianapolis Colts’ Offense (Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark)
The Colts wrapped up home field advantage so they really have nothing to play for. They aren’t concerned with a perfect season, and will do everything in their power to keep them out of harm’s way. I wouldn’t expect many second-half minutes for this crew.

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys
The Saints, unlike the Colts, have indicated that a perfect season is important to them, which is not good news for a team in a December funk. With each December loss, the pressure mounts on Romo. The Superdome is going to be incredibly loud, which will make it hard for the Boys to get into a rhythm. Oh, and the Saints have a pretty stout defense. They are tied for third with just 13 passing TDs allowed.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
In an even greater free fall than the Cowboys is the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. They are in complete disarray. They are struggling to run the football, which will feed right into Green Bay’s hands. Green Bay is in a virtual tie for first with just 85.0 rushing yards allowed and ranks fourth with 4 rushing TDs allowed.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego Chargers
LT has been sharing the workload all season long, and will do some this week as well. He faces Cincinnati, who is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Vikings. They will be plenty motivated to put that behind them. Cincy is third in the league with 86.4 rushing yards allowed, and tied for ninth with 8 rushing TDs allowed.

Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
Roddy is putting together another fine year, but draws the unfortunate match-up with Darrelle Revis.  Revis has been blanketing #1′s all season long, and Roddy is next in line. The Jets rank first with 160.4 passing yards and 7 passing TDs allowed.

Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers
Roddy isn’t the only person that will have to deal with a shutdown corner this week. Santonio Holmes will be blanketed by Charles Woodson. Green Bay is also tough against the pass, ranking third with 187.0 passing yards allowed.

Before we get started, check out my Week 14 NFL picks.

I’m going to look at the matchups each week and pick five fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week. Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Arizona made Brett Favre look human last week. It won’t get easier when he takes on Cincinnati’s 13th ranked pass defense this week. In his nine December since 2007 Favre is averaging 198.0 yards with 10 TDs and 15 INTs. Compare that to the 257.0 yards, 66 TDs and 27 INTs he had in the 35 September/October/November games, and you have an alarming trend.

Marion Barber III, RB, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys take on the red hot San Diego Chargers. They’ll likely have to turn to the air to keep up with the Chargers’ high-scoring offense. Dallas will probably be tight because if they drop a second consecutive December game, the heat will be on. Plus, Barber is splitting carries making him a unattractive start for the opening of the fantasy playoffs.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego Chargers
I didn’t look far for the other RB I think will struggle this week. LT faces Dallas’ 9th ranked run defense. He’s averaging just 3.3 yards per carry and 62.7 total yards per game. He’s made up for it with nine rushing TDs. That is the Cowboys’ strength though, as they have allowed just five rushing TDs all year. Plus, he’s no longer used in the passing game. When you stack up all the strikes against LT this week, he looks like a marginal fantasy play this week.

Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I know Bryant went on a ridiculous run last year around this time. I know he had 91 yards and a score in Week 12 and 116 yards in Week 13. However, I also know that he faces shutdown corner Darelle Revis this week. He’s been murder on #1 WRs this year, and I would hesitate to test him in the fantasy playoffs.

Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts
I know you can’t bench Wayne, but I would expect a decrease in production this week. He has only seven receptions for 67 yards the past two weeks. Meanwhile Dallas Clark has 88 yards, Pierre Garcon has 199, and Austin Collie has 88. Peyton Manning will hit the open man. With Champ Bailey draped on him all day, more often than not it won’t be Wayne.

Before we get started, check out my Week 13 NFL picks.

I’m going to look at the matchups each week and pick five fantasy starters that could be in for a tough week. Here’s a look at players who could struggle this week.

Kurt Warner, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Warner makes the list again this week, but it’s more a reflection on who he’s facing than anything. I’m confident he’ll be able to play this week, but he could have a hard time finishing the game against Minnesota’s front four. The Vikings lead the league with 40 Sacks, and it’s hard to have faith in a QB coming off a concussion against a defense that brings so much pressure.

I’m also iffy on Ben Roethlisberger coming off his concussion and facing the Raiders, who are tied for fourth with just ten passing TDs allowed.

Ryan Grant, RB, Green Bay Packers
This is not a good week to use Ryan Grant. He faces Baltimore’s 6th ranked rushing defense (97.6 yards/gm). They are also tenth with just seven rushing TDs allowed. Grant plays at home, where he has actually been less productive.

Home:  87.5 total yards per game (72.5 rushing, 15.0 receiving)
Away:  111.0 total yards per games (91.0 rushing, 20.0 receiving)

Brandon Jacobs, RB, New York Giants
Jacobs faces Dallas’ 9th ranked rushing defense (102.7 yards/gm). They allowed just five rushing TDs on the season. In his last four games against Dallas he has scored just one TD with an average of 84 total yards.  Not exactly numbers you can bank on in this crucial juncture of the season.

Terrell Owens, WR, Buffalo Bills
T.O. is on fire, but squares up against Darrelle Revis. The Jets are #2 against the pass with 175.7 yards allowed per game, and tops with just seven passing TDs allowed.  When the Bills faced the Jets in Week 6, T.O. was held to 13 yards on three catches.

Chris Chambers, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Chambers has been a godsend for the Chiefs, especially with Dwayne Bowe serving his four-game suspension. This week though, he faces Champ Bailey and Denver’s 5th ranked passing defense (185 yards/gm). They are also tied for fourth with ten passing TDs allowed.